Nozzle adjustment for vacuum cleaners



Dec. 17, 1968 NORDEEN 3,416,181

NOZZLE ADJUSTMENT FOR VACUUM CLEANERS Filed June 1, 1966 Q FIGI FIG.4 23

INVENTOR ERWIN ENORDEEN m mo 4M, BY MW [fi A FI QRNEYS;--

United States Patent O 3,416,181 NOZZLE ADJUSTMENT FOR VACUUM CLEANERS Erwin E. Nordeen, St. Paul, Minn., assignor to Whirlpool Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed June 1, 1966, Ser. No. 554,428 7 Claims. (Cl. 15359) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A vacuum cleaner having a surface agitator such as a brush in a housing rotatable against a surface, surface engaging support means such as wheels adjacent the agitator, stress deformable resilient mounting means with one por- ,tion thereof attached to the housing and another portion spaced from the one portion carrying the wheels and means for applying deforming stress to the resilient mounting means between the two spaced portions for moving the surface engaging wheels away from the agitator and in the direction of the surface thereby to maintain the agitator away from the surface as during off the floor cleaning.

This invention relates to a vacuum cleaner and particularly to a nozzle adjustment therefor whereby the nozzle containing a rotatable surface agitator can be raised from the surface being cleaned when such is desired.

In a vacuum cleaner of the type that is moved over a surface such as a floor covering being cleaned there is ordinarily provided a housing having a nozzle portion, a

surface agitator in the nozzle portion rotatable against the surface during cleaning and a handle for propelling the housing over the surface. Frequently, it is desired to continue rotation of the surface agitator while the vacuum cleaner is stationary. If this rotation is for any extended period of time the agitator tends to abrade the surface because the housing is then not being moved over the surface. This invention is intended to provide a simple structure for preventing this.

One of the features of this invention therefore is to provide a vacuum cleaner having a housing with a rotatable surface agitator in a nozzle portion thereof, floor engaging support means for the housing adjacent the nozzle portion, resilient mounting means for mounting the support means on the housing and means for selectively applying stress to the resilient mounting means to urge the support means away from the nozzle portion toward the surface for maintaining the nozzle portion and thus the agitator therein away from the surface when such is desired.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of one embodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view partially broken away for clarity of illustration of a vacuum cleaner embodying the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 but illustrating the position of the propelling handle just at the time it is moved to storage position and prior to release of the forward force thereon that moves it to this position.

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 but illustrating the cleaner after the handle is in its releasable storage position.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary bottom view of the cleaner of this embodiment partially broken away for clarity of illustration.

The vacuum cleaner illustrated in the accompanying drawings comprises a housing 11 having a nozzle portion 12 at the front thereof in which is positioned a rotatable surface agitator such as the rotatable brush 13 that when the vacuum cleaner is in use is rotated against a surface such as the floor covering 14 as by means of a conventional motor 15 and belt 16 drive.

In order to support the vacuum cleaner 10 for movement over the surface 14 during the cleaning thereof there are provided the usual plurality of supporting wheels. One set of wheels 17 is located at the rear of the housing 11 while another set of wheels 18 is located forwardly thereof. Thus as compared to the wheels 17 the forward wheels 18 are located adjacent the brush or agitator 13.

The rear wheels 17 are rotatably mounted on a rear axle 19 in the customary manner with the axle being held in a bracket 20 at this rear of the cleaner. The cleaner is adapted to be propelled in the customary manner over the floor covering 14 during cleaning thereof by an ordinary handle 21 that also engages the axle 19. The transverse axle 19 on which the rear wheels 17 are mounted has integral forwardly extending side rods 22 positioned inwardly of but adjacent the sides 23 of the housing 11. The combination of the two side rods 22 and the transverse rod forming the axle 19 provides a generally U-shaped member.

The front end of each of the pair of side rods 22 (of which only one is shown) are bent toward each other as illustrated at 24. Each of these bent portions 24 carries a front supporting wheel 18 which as previously noted supports the forward or nozzle portion 12 of the cleaner on the surface 14 during cleaning. In the customary cleaning pperation the vacuum cleaner 10 is arranged as shown in FIGURE 1 and is propelled back and forth over the surface 14 by the handle 21. During this movement the rotatable brush 13 dislodges dirt in the customary manner from the surface 14 which is drawn into a dirt separating bag (not shown) by a suction unit (not shown) in the customary manner.

Most vacuum cleaners of htis type are also adapted for off the floor cleaning during which time suction units including a cleaning tool, a flexible hose and usually a tubular wand are used to clean such items as draperies, furniture and the like. During this off the floor cleaning the agitator such as the brush continues to rotate. If contact with the surface being cleaned is maintained, this of course can seriously wear the surface. This is particularly acute where the surface being cleaned is the surface of a rug or carpet. The present invention provides simple means for automatically elevating the nozzle portion containing the surface agitator when the handle is moved to storage position.

In order to raise the nozzle 12 and thus the surface agitator 13 away from the surface during the above-described off the floor cleaning operations, the mounting means side rods 22 are made resilient such as by making them of metal. The means are provided for selectively applying stress to the side rods to urge the front wheels 18 away from the nozzle portion 12 so that the distorting stress applied to the side rods 22 will elevate the nozzle 12 above the surface 14.

In the specific embodiment there is provide adjacent each side rod 22 and inwardly thereof a pivot bracket 25 .in the form of a bell crank having its base 26 rotatable on the axle rod 19, a forward part 27 engaging a side rod 22 and an upper part 28 engaged by the handle 21 when the handle is moved forwardly from its position shown in FIGURE 1.

Mounted on the handle 21 at about the same level as the top 29 of the housing 11 is a spring urged rotatable catch 30. The handle 21 when rotated forwardly to its storage position shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 causes the hook end 31 of the catch 30 to engage a complementary catch 32 on the housing 11 as shown in FIGURE 2. This engagement of the catches 30 and 32 is maintained by a torsion spring 33 urging the catch 30 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIGURES 1-3.

When the handle 21 has thus been moved forwardly to engage the catches 30 and 32, as shown in FIGURE 2, the bracket 25 applies a downwardly directed bending stress to the side rods 22. As shown in FIGURE 2, the handle 21 has just been moved to its storage position and the moving force is still being applied thereto so that the side rods 22 are shown bent. Then, when this handle moving force is removed, as shown in FIGURE 3, the side rods 22 straighten out, as the bending force is now removed, to urge the front supporting wheels 18 away from the nozzle 12. As these wheels bear against the surface 14 the nozzle 12 and the surface agitator 13 are of course raised. The result is that the cleaner can be used in the customary off the floor cleaning operation and the rotating brush 13 does not Wear the surface 14.

As can be seen from the above description, the resilient mounting means or side rods 22 are of sufficient strength as to be substantially undistorted during ordinary movement of the cleaner over the surface being cleaned as shown in FIGURE 1. There will of course be some yielding in the side rods so that they, in effect, act as spring mountings. However, the yielding is not great in order that the proper relationship of the brush 13 to the surface 14 will be maintained.

The lifting of the nozzle portion 12 and thus the brush 13 away from the surface 14 is accomplished in the embodiment illustrated in an automatic manner when the handle 21 is moved to its storage position as previously described. Means other than the handle 21 may of course be used if desired to apply the stress to the side rods 22.

Having described my invention as related to the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, it is my intention that the invention be not limited by any of the details of description, unless otherwise specified, but rather be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as set out in the accompanying claims.

The embodiment of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed is defined as follows:

1. A vacuum cleaner, comprising: a housing; a surface agitator in said housing rotatable against a surface during cleaning thereof; surface engaging support means adjacent said agitator; stress deformable resilient mounting means having one portion attached to said housing and another portion spaced from said one portion carrying said support means; and means for directly engaging said resilient mounting means between said portions for applying deforming stress to said resilient mounting means and thereby moving said surface engaging means away from said agitator and in the direction of said surface, to maintain said agitator away from said surface.

2. The vacuum cleaner of claim 1 wherein there are provided a handle for propelling said housing over said surface during said cleaning, said handle being movable to a storage position, means for releasably retaining said handle in said storage position, and means for operating said stress applying means on moving said handle to said storage position.

3. The vacuum cleaner of claim 2 wherein said means for releasably retaining comprises cooperating catches on said handle and said housing.

4. The vacuum cleaner of claim 2 wherein said housing is provided with a nozzle portion in which said agitator is located, said support means is located adjacent said nozzle portion, and said stressed resilient mounting means urges said nozzle portion away from said surface.

5. The vacuum cleaner of claim 4 wherein said surface engaging support means adjacent said nozzle portion comprises a wheel and another supporting wheel is provided on said housing adjacent said handle, the resilient mounting means including spaced axle portions for both said wheels.

6. The vacuum cleaner of claim 5 wherein bracket means are provided operably associated with both said handle and said resilient mounting means for applying said stress to the mounting means when the handle is in said releasable storage position.

7. The vacuum cleaner of claim 6 wherein said stressed resilient mounting means when the handle is in said storage position simultaneously urges said wheel that is ad jacent said nozzle portion away from the nozzle portion and the handle away from said storage position toward said operating position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,730,752 l/1956 Seck l5361 ROBERT W. MICHELL, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 15-361 

